Scrubbing In: New MTV Docu-Series about Travel Nurses Airs in One Week

Mark your calendars and set your DVR! Nurses, you won’t want to miss this. As we discussed in a previous post, the development of MTV’s Scrubbing In hasn’t been without some controversy. Despite a petition and Facebook Page trying to cancel the show, the premiere date is quickly approaching. In typical reality show fashion, yes, there will be drama but perhaps we shouldn’t be so quick to write it off just yet–the bigger message may be more important.

The travel nursing industry has proved to be an valuable asset to the the healthcare workforce and with a major nursing shortage on our hands, building awareness of the profession is a good thing. Aya Healthcare, the company behind the nine featured travel nurses, defends the cast in this official statement:

Nine Aya Healthcare travel nurses will have their travel assignments documented on Scrubbing In, a new docu-series on MTV.

Aya Healthcare travel nurses are located to various destinations around the United States to perform work in hospitals on a temporary basis. The nurses documented on Scrubbing In were relocated to Orange County, California.

The featured travel nurses represent a new generation of nurses who have recently entered the workforce. They are highly trained and deeply passionate about nursing. Six of the Scrubbing In travel nurses have Level 1 trauma center ICU experience. A Level 1 trauma center tests the most critically ill patients and requires the highest skilled ICU nurses. Two of the nurses are experienced Emergency Room travelers and have multiple assignments with Aya Healthcare under their belt. One of the featured nurses is a floor nurse with an exceptional bedside manner.

Through the Scrubbing In participation, Aya Healthcare intends to create a greater awareness about the heroic work nurses do every day. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the United States is experiencing a nursing shortage that is only expected to worsen. With over 40% of the nursing population approaching retirement age, the country needs a new generation of nurses to take their place. Through its Scrubbing In participation, Aya Healthcare is hoping to inspire the generation of young people watching MTV to consider nursing as a possible career choice.

Aya Healthcare is Joint Commission certified and maintains stringent credentialing standards for its travel nurses. The nurses featured in the series underwent the same rigorous screening process as all other Aya Healthcare travel nurses. This includes thorough background checks, education verifications and drug screens. The travel nurses featured on Scrubbing In obtained all appropriate state licenses before any patient care was performed in the hospitals.

Scrubbing In was filmed in 2 hospitals in Orange County, California.

The show premieres on MTV, Thursday, October 24th at 10pm ET/PT.

The trailer below gives us a taste of what is in store. We look forward to seeing this group of “hellraisers, heartbreakers, lifesavers, and funseekers” exhibit a healthy balance of work and play while managing the real-life struggles travel nurses face.